The Horse and His Boy for next film? Yea or neigh?

Great discussion! I'd have to say that, yes, I'd absolutely love it if they made HHB next (you all know it's one of my favoritest of favorite books in the series ) but I also am a little afraid of it being made into a movie! Honestly, I think it would be one of the easiest books to spoil. There are several potential hang-ups I'm worried about, and here are some of them:1) Not a clear audience age. I think one problem with VDT was that they tried to make the audience appeal so large that it ended up being so small. Is it for 5 year olds or 15 year olds? While I love movies that do have appeal to a large age-range, I hope they'd do it sort of like they did for PC, and perhaps LWW. It seemed as if those were geared more for the young adult realm (while still being pretty suitable for younger children) and, IMO, it worked far better. 2) Romance. I respectfully think it could ruin the film if there was romance between Shasta and Aravis for most of the movie. While I definitely picture Shasta and Aravis as being 15-17, (yes, I definitely disagree with the timeline!) their relationship seemed to be very un-romantic in the book. They were thrown together, and needed to rely on each other (and the horses) in order to make it through. The earliest possible place I could picture any slight tenderness/romantic feeling is at the Hermitage. Personally, I do not understand why so many people seem to try and make every boy-girl friendship into a romance. I'd love to see more stories of "plain" friendship in all it's delightfulness... and is it just my imagination, or did C.S. Lewis himself make a comment upon the subject?3) "Taming" it down. VDT undragoning scene, anyone? There needs to be the dramatic moonlit chase with the lion's roars (hopefully actually loud!), the slow talk with Aslan (please, please don't rush it!), and yes, IMO they cannot, cannot change the Aslan and Aravis scenes at the Hermitage. There is (or was) a discussion going on a sub-board about how they can do that scene and still keep a low rating. I really think it could be done. If they take those scenes out (or worse, alter them!) I think that some of the most pivotal moments in the story would be gone. And so would moments of character for each of the characters. For example, it isn't just for Aravis that the Lion attack has to occur. It's a huge moment for Shasta, and also for Bree. Shasta comes through as the honorable Prince, and Bree sees himself (and Shasta) for who they really were. Take that scene out, and there would be a lot missing. And so on for all the other equally important scenes I can picture them chopping and changing. I'm sure there are more, but that's what I can think of at this moment. But, if they could do all that, and everything else they'd need to, I think HHB could be the greatest movie ever made!

"Not all that is called progress moves us forward." - H.K. Ward"Aslan's instructions always work, there are no exceptions." -Puddleglum

I hope that all four of the Pevensie actors will be able to come back. It wouldn't be the same if one of them was missing. And yes, I'm including Peter in that number, though I suppose he is the most dispensable.

I would love to see the movie start with the ship chase (the credits section?) and then go to the tournament. Give the audience the chance to see Rabadash at his most charming, in order to contrast his later behaviour and make it understandable why Susan would even consider his suit.

It would be nice to see more of the Pevensies, as long as there isn't too much time spent on them, to the detriment of the real protagonists. After all, Shasta and Aravis are the main characters (with the horses) and the movie should concentrate on their journey, physically and character-wise.

Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away ... my days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle

That depends on how much detail a film would want to put in about how Queen Susan was courted by Rabadash, who was entertained by Peter's order at Cair Paravel. Otherwise it was Edmund's show, and Peter plays no further part in the story having gone North to fight giants.

I certainly want to see how Shasta meets Edmund and Susan and how he first meets Corin.

HHB certainly has potential to be a great film. The biggest hurdle to overcome will be talking horses. Bree and Hwin have to be a lot more than "Philip" was in the LWW movie. They have to have the kind of performance I don't think you can get out of a real horse. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal at first, but when you really sit down and try to visualize the entire movie... the challenge becomes evident.

I agree they are going to have to go CGI with the horses to some extent, but I want them to use real horses for the most part and then just CGI head tosses, expressions, vocals, etc. They still need to act like a horse.

I don't think that they can avoid using real horses, nor do I hope they do. While I agree, gP, that there will have to be a considerable amount of CGI to make them convincing characters, the amount needed for no horses would be far more tremendous. I mean, they are riding throughout the movie.

While they could use puppets, can you imagine the cost? If they cut out Aslan scenes because of the expense, what would fake horses do to the budget?

Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away ... my days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle

I would imagine a lot of the dialogue will be done in close-ups, with the necessary CGI applied to sync lip movement and the voice track. But if there are some long shots you might not even need CGI there.

I'm with kat and aileth--there is absolutely no reason not to use real horses for most of the scenes. (I mean, if they didn't, the movie would date itself very quickly...)

glumPuddle wrote:They have to have the kind of performance I don't think you can get out of a real horse.

I've met a horse that would prove you wrong. He is one of the most physically expressive horses I've ever met. His facial expressions are a riot. He's very good at pouting. He's very good at being grouchy. He's very good and being absolutely goofy. It's not just his body language. His facial expressions are very clear even to a non-horse person. He had us in stitches at his facial expressions alone during a riding clinic this week.

Yes, but could that horse act? Or could he be filmed and the film fixed somehow to match the moments? If I know anything about animals, the moment you want them to do anything they want to do something else. Like run away, sulk or turn wooden-faced. You have to give them lots of flattery, attention and caresses, plus food rewards. They like that.

I've been working with horses for over 20 years now (still have tons to learn especially about training.) and yes they can be unpredictable. However, if they are trained correctly, they will do what you ask if you offer them an escape route and a "yes" answer.

The horse I referred to has the most hilarious expressions. He pouts when scolded. He is very curious. He has a happy expression. He can stick his bottom lip out quite a ways when sulking. He makes grumpy faces when fussed at for something he thinks isn't his fault. He also is trained to rear and bow.

Horses are claustrophobic by nature. They also move away from pressure. So as long as you give them a way to move away from pressure and turn that into a cue for a behavior followed by appropriate praise, you can teach horses quite a range of behaviors. All you have to do is find a horse that has the curiosity and brains to desire the stimulation learning tricks can offer them. Once they know, when a particular cue is given, that they can move into the given escape route, they're fine.